May 2017 was a busy month!
May 19: I left Santa Fe to hit the road to Texas (gotta have good shades on that sunny route) to attend two great book club reviews of Listen for the Mourning Dove! Just a few days later, I found myself in the clouds (in more ways than one) to New York to accept the silver medal for Southern fiction given me by the 2017 Independent Publisher Book Awards better known as the IPPYs. Scroll down for photos and info on all the events.
Readers Book Club of San Angelo
May 20th: I'm pictured above with this fine group of women who make up the Readers Book Club of San Angelo, many of whom were/are teachers, including the lovely lady in turquoise, Dr. Norma Faubion (front row far left), who hosted the club in her pretty home in the Bluffs. I'd never seen such a great view of West Texas! In the midst of so many learned women, I had to watch my p's and q's! Annell Salladay, the group's leader ( far left back row) opened the session with a warm welcome and turned the program over to Dana Glossbrenner, a published author, who read my bio to the group (Dana is in the blue/white striped blouse far right). The group's intelligent questions and comments about the book were illuminating to say the least! I was glad to see my old friend Vene Gregg (front row blue top/flowered pants) who drove in from the Austin area to attend. She and her old friend, now my new friend, Sally Lehr (just behind Vene in the blue jacket), were responsible for choosing the book for the May club read. A delicious lunch was served with the chance to continue the interesting conversations. Thank you again, new friends and avid readers, for a perfectly delightful time!
West Texas Readers Club of San Angelo
May 22: I'm here with the West Texas Readers Club of San Angelo members for a really terrific discussion of the book! Reviewers Bonnie Beesley (back row, far left) and Kay Holland (center in the plaid shirt) were more than beautifully prepared for the session that included having recorded all the music in the book, and the sound of the dove, playing the music while members and guests arrived! I loved that so much! I hear a soundtrack in the book's future! Kay's and Bonnie's topics for discussion were well thought out and relevant to the nuances of the story. I was impressed with how deeply into the book they got and how intuitive both were. The questions and comments from the group were informed and interesting and I gathered some food for thought about my characters' choices and my choices for them! Thank you, West Texas Readers, for a stimulating event! I was also happy to have two good friends attend as guests: my childhood and lifelong friend Susan Williams (in yellow far left standing) and my good friend Pam Bladine behind the camera! It was great to be with you all and to meet new friends among you, including guest Becky Cornell (seated with turquoise necklace). Special thanks to Kay Rork (back row 2nd from rt.) and Joan Ingham (2nd row 4th from left) for hosting and for the very good lunch! I look very much forward to seeing you all again.
May 29: Up, up and away to New York… smooth sailing all the way.
May 30: The book awards at the Copacabana (yes, think Barry Manilow) in Times Square!
There must have been lead in those medals! My medal looks gold on the right, but must have been reflection. It’s definitely silver!
A great crowd, good food and drink at the event, and a good time was had by all!
May 31: An interesting day at BookExpo America at the impressive Javits Center. This last night in New York spent having a great meal across the street from my hotel on W. 35th and a welcome night's rest before heading back to the Land of Enchantment on June 1. Now back to the real world, and the real world of a writer--cloistered! Back to you novel two.
